Electrical connecter



- April 3, 1928. 1,665,166

J. E. GRAHAM ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Filed Oct. 21, 1925 Patented 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES JOHN ELIPHINSTOIIE GRAHAM, OF LONDON, ENGLAND. I

ELECTRICAL CONNECTER.

Application filed October 21, 1925, Serial No.

This invention relates to electrical connecters and has for its objectto provide such devices in or to which electrical leads may be readilysoldered with facility in an efiicient and neat manner and in such a waythat the said leads may be grouped and electrically united at a junctionformed by the device.

In general connecters made, according the invention comprise a body orpart which may or mayv not be of conducting material, having a recess,cavity, depression or the like therein adapted to hold the solder or thelike, and having holes, apertures, slits,

16 slots or other openings in the body or part, merging or opening 1ntothe said recess or the like. In the holes, apertures or the like, theends or other parts of the electric leads are inserted to project intoor towards the recess or the like and when thus inserted, solder or thelike in the recess can be melted by suitable means and when meltedspreads or runs in the various parts of the connecter and unites theleads together, direct or 26 throu h the medium of the connecter,suitable fl ux, if necessary having been previously, applied. A neatsoldered joint is thus made uniting the leads either directly orindirectly, and moreover no solder is liable to be dropped or splashedwhich is a great advantage especially when soldering the connections ofwireless panels.

The connecter can take many forms and can be combined with many devices,for example it may form a terminal nut, or part of an insertable plugand it'may be formed from one or more arts which may be solid or ofsheet materia which may be stamped out and which may he slid on orslipped around the wire or wires to be joined. Further in some cases thesolder or the like may be enclosed in the connecter during manufacturewhich is made of suitable form to retain it, the hole or holes or thelike being 46 suitably disposed to lead to the solder containing part.

And 1n order that the invention may be better understood, it will now bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1,2 and 3 show in front elevation, side elevation and'plan one form ofsheet metal connecter made according to the invention.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show methods of using the 63,934, and in Great Britain0666m- 81,1924.

connecters with or without slight modifications illustrated in Figs. 1to 3.

Figs. 7 and 8 show front and side elevat1ons respectlvely of anotherconnecter made according to the'invention. .6

' Figs. 9 and 10 show similar views of another form.

Figs. ll and 12 show two further modifications.

Figs. 13 and 14 show in elevation and .plan another form.

-Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, the connecter shown in these figures isstamped and bent up from a thin sheet metal blank and com prises twotriangular portions 1 and 2with their corners removed and with theirbases ]01I1ed by a strip 3. The remaining sides have flanges 4 whichmeet at the sides as shown. An aperture 5 which may be square is formedat the centre of the stri 3 and other similarly shapled apertures 6, and8 -are constituted by t e cut away corners and flanges. In F gs. 1, 3and 6 the upper corners. of the triangles are cut at an obtuse angle tothe base where joined by the strip fi aand in Figs. 4 and 5 they are cutat right angles to this base. 9 is an aperture formed in the trian le 1.

In using t e connecter it will be seen from 4:, 5 and 6, that two, threeor four wires of square or other section can be passed into or throughthe'apertui'es 5, 6, 7 and 8 and the device held by its own springinessin osition, at the same time the connecter orms a support for holdingthe wires in desired relationship. Granules of solder are now passedthrough the aperture 9 to be retained in positionor a pellet of solderof suitable shape is placed in or supported by the aperture 9. Uponapplying heat, for example by a soldering iron the solder unites thewires and connecter together in an extremely neat and uniform manner.

The connecter is preferably given a tinned finish in manufacture andthis together with any suitably applied flux facilitates soldermg. 1

The connecter may be placed in position on the wires by sliding it on toand along one wire, or by springing 1t open and clipping it in position.

The form shown in Figs. 7 and 8 is substantially similar to that alreadyjust described except that in place of angular corners in the bendsthese are rounded-and are 4 especially suitable for wire of circularsection.

In F i s. 9 and 10 a somewhat triangular base an plate 10 is providedwith flanges 11 having la 12 for assisting to retain the wires inposition. Between the flanges 11 at the top a gap 13 is left for a wireand the; other wires are accommodated .in the channels formed betweenthe flanges.

Fig. 11 is a form of connecter similar generally to those shown in Figs.1 to 8 and shows small apertures 14 in the triangle 2 for the attachmentof fine wires, which may be hooked in position or just passed throughbefore soldering, and which after soldering are firmly held in position.

The form shown in Fig. 12 is similar to those already described but thecircular aperture is replaced by a triangular one 15. In all cases ifrequired one or more apertures may be formed in the top and bottomplates.

The connecter shown in Figs. 13 and 14, is formed from thin sheet metaland is particularly suitable for attachment to terminal screws, stemsand the like and comprises a blank bent into a hollow cylinder 16 withtongues 17 and having adesired number of apertures 18 opening into theinterior. In use this form of connecter is sprung on to the end of ascrew or the like so that the apertured end projects beyond the end ofthe screw. The wires are then inserted into or through the apertures 18.The granules of solder are then placed in the projecting portion of thehollow cylinder or a pellet of solder is supported thereby and uponapplying heat the connecter wires and stem are united in a neat, firmand eflicient soldered joint.

The connecter may comprise a terminal nut having a cylindrical head atone end preferably serrated or knurled on the exterior. The outer end ofthe head is formed with a circular groove or channel of suitable sectionand this channel forms the necessary recess. The cylindrical surface ofthe head has a number say five, of holes disposed at equal angles apartand passing therethrough and opening into the channel, the ends of theholes coming on to the inner side of the channel if desired. Below thehead the terminal nut may be reduced in diameter to leave only acomparatively thin wall and at the lower end a flange may be formed.

In use the nut is screwed on or otherwise fastened to a suitable stem orother part of a component and the groove and holes fluxed if required.Small pieces or granules of solder are disposed in the groove and theends of the electric leads which may have been fluxed passed through theholes into the groove. Upon the ap lication of the necessary heat from aso dering iron or 9 and 11 and 12 may be replaced by portions of square,rectangular or other regular or irregular shape, with angular cornerscut away where required and/or with apertures, slots or the like insuitable position for the passage of wires.

lVith some forms of the device some of the openings may take the form ofsaw cuts or the like from the exterior permitting an edge of a sheet orstrip to be passed through to communicate with the recess.

The connecter may be mounted upon or form part of a post or of aninsertable plug or may have an extension adapted to be connected to abinding 0st or the like. Sheet metal forms of the device may be stampedout and include a suitable depression or recess, which may be a circularchannel and have the holes or the like leading thereto. In one such formthe connecter has a circular channel on one side and the outer wallthereof is turned down to form a channel on the other side. In theturned down outermost wall and the outer wall of the first mentionedchannel aligned apertures are provided forming the passage for the leadsto the channel.

Connecters with self contained solder or the like may comprise two cupsor the like of sheet metal forced or s an together to hold the solder orthe like t erebetween and these cups may have in any desired positionsthe holes or the like for the leads, which holes may be formed toconstitute guides or they"may be formed of a block or the like of solderhaving suitable holes unched through it, such block being plate on theexterior surface thus forming a thin nickel or other cup or shellsuflicient to retain the solder when in a molten condition until itagain hardens.

It will be seen that a variety of connecters may be constructedaccording to the invention and that such devices readily lend themselvesto joints of difierent forms, having one or more leads which leads maycross the joints and that in all cases a neat and efiicient solderedjoint is reduced which is considerably stren thene or reinforced by theconnecter itsel The invention is notlimited to the forms described norto the details thereof but may be carried into effect in any mannerretainingthe principle of a connecter having a support, recess, cavity,depression or the like adapted to hold solder or the like and havingholes, apertures, slits or other openings for the insertion of wires orother conductors merging or opening into the saidv recess or the like.

What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent in the United Statesof America 1s:

1. A sheet material connecter for facilitating the soldering of electricconductors together, said connecter being bent up and shaped from ablank shaped to include two parallel portions of similar formationjoined by a strip and having cut away angles where said portions jointhe strip and other portions along the edges of the first named portionsto form flanges adapted to extend towards each other at their freeedges, the said bent up blank forming a chamber to hold the solder, anda lurality of openings in communication wit said chamber for the passageand retention of electric conductors.

2. A sheet material connecter for facilitating the soldering of electricconductors together, said connecter being bent up and shaped from ablank shaped to include two parallel portions of similar formationjoined by a strip and having cut away angles where said portions jointhe strip and other portions along the edges of the first named portionsto form flanges adapted to extend towards each other at their free edgesand provided with apertures in at least one of the two portions ofsimilar formation and in the strip joining the said portions, the saidbent up blank forming a chamber to hold the solder, and a plurality ofopenings in communication with said chamber for the passage andretention of electric conductors. In witness whereof I aflix mysignature.

JOHN ELPHINSTONE GRAHAM.

